Selected Projects from Portfolio

About

I am a young architect who graduated recently from “the Bartlett” (UCL), seeking an opportunity to be challenged and challenge others within the boundaries of an experienced and team-driven work environment. For this reason I decided to send this application letter to archinect attaching hetero my cv for your review and consideration in case of any job opportunities that might come up or intern-architects vacancies. Now that I have gained some work experience, I finally feel confident enough to knock architects doors, asking them to give me an opportunity which would allow me to gain the extensive work experience I am looking for.

Although I’ve been given the chance and the honor to start working from a very young age with my father (Civil Engineer, University of Athens) and the shareholders of Club Hotel Casino Loutraki (one of the biggest casino resorts in the Balkans) and Beograd, I have also always had the desire to leave Greece in order to broaden my horizons and hopefully, find a new family of architects and engineers who would be happy to welcome me abroad. Although I have mentioned this in my CV, I want to briefly explain why I consider myself an appropriate candidate for a suitable architect position in your company by highlighting some inspirational moments in my previous work experience.

After finishing my BA in Architecture at the University of Cyprus, and while trying to concentrate on my thesis, I was attracted by small-scale projects which I was requested to participate in. What I was motivated by was the invitation of the shareholders of C.H.C.L. to attend their meetings as an observer in order to gain an insight on all their projects in Greece and abroad. This experience gave me the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of managing and construction issues, considering big scale projects, such as the Club Hotel in Loutraki, Greece and the Casino building in Beograd, Serbia. Fortunately, I also managed to use these influences as an inspiration for my thesis and graduate with honors with a Diploma Degree in Architecture.

Shortly after my graduation, I was accepted at “the Bartlett” of UCL in London, to attend their one-year Avatar masters programme in Architectural Design. Meanwhile, I was given a major job opportunity in Greece which I decided to accept and work on at the same time with my studies in London.

I was asked to be the architect and project manager of two twin residences situated on the coastal area of Corinthiakos Peninsula to which I was trusted and given enormous freedom in design. Given the opportunity to work alongside a very qualified and cooperative team, I gained respect as an architect and as an individual. This opportunity, gave me experience as a new architect but I also realized that under such circumstances one develops a strong set of constructive and deconstructive skills and re-evaluates the nature of right and wrong.

Today I am happy to be in the position to announce that I successfully graduated from the Bartlett with a master’s degree in Architectural Design and therefore here I am, at the age of 26, asking you to embrace me in my new beginning in London.

Sincerely Yours,
Assimakopoulou Irini

Elsewhere:

Employment

I was asked to be the architect and project manager of two twin residences situated on the coastal area of Corinthiakos Peninsula to which I was trusted and given enormous freedom in design. Given the opportunity to work alongside a very qualified and cooperative team, I gained respect as an architect and as an individual. This opportunity, gave me experience as a new architect but I also realized that under such circumstances one develops a strong set of constructive and deconstructive skills and re-evaluates the nature of right and wrong.

Although I’ve been given the chance and the honor to start working from a very young age with my father (Civil Engineer, University of Athens) and the shareholders of Club Hotel Casino Loutraki (one of the biggest casino resorts in the Balkans) and Beograd, I have also always had the desire to leave Greece in order to broaden my horizons and hopefully, find a new family of architects and engineers who would be happy to welcome me abroad. Although I have mentioned this in my CV, I want to briefly explain why I consider myself an appropriate candidate for a suitable architect position in your company by highlighting some inspirational moments in my previous work experience.

After finishing my BA in Architecture at the University of Cyprus, and while trying to concentrate on my thesis, I was attracted by small-scale projects which I was requested to participate in. What I was motivated by was the invitation of the shareholders of C.H.C.L. to attend their meetings as an observer in order to gain an insight on all their projects in Greece and abroad. This experience gave me the capacity to gain an accurate and deep intuitive understanding of managing and construction issues, considering big scale projects, such as the Club Hotel in Loutraki, Greece and the Casino building in Beograd, Serbia. Fortunately, I also managed to use these influences as an inspiration for my thesis and graduate with honors with a Diploma Degree in Architecture.

Jan 2009 - Sep 2011

Education

AVATAR (the Advanced Virtual and Technological Architecture Research Laboratory). AVATAR is conceived as a cross unit research group and agenda that explores all manner of digital and visceral terrain, its augmentation and symbiosis. Over recent years AVATAR has grown into an international research collaborative centre with members including Neil Spiller, Bob Sheil, Shaun Murray, Nic Clear, Marjan Colletti & Marcos Cruz.

The Professional Diploma and Bachelor of Artsin Architecture have been established as an academic program, within the Department of Architecture under the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Law at the University of Nicosia.

From the outset the Department’s strategic plan entailed a well thought-out and progressive expansion into the area of architectural design studies. For over seven years, we have been offering a high quality, accredited academic program in architecture and interior design. As a consequence of which, we have created the essential infrastructure (library resources, computer labs, art studios, workshop, design studios) that serves both the demands of the academic program and the research efforts of the faculty.

The program has been academically accredited by the ECPU and is approved by ETEK (Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber) and has been designed in accordance with the eleven points of the European Commission’s Architects Directive for the transformation of higher education in Europe initiated by the Bologna declaration; at the same time, it acknowledges the importance of constructing a unique identity and fostering diversity in architectural education.

The mission of the Department of Architecture at the University of Nicosia is to create critical thinkers who are intellectually acute, socially aware, and technically skilled architects/designers. Our graduates are conceptual thinkers who are equipped both with time-tested methods and skills, as well as superior knowledge and understanding of cutting-edge technologies. Our graduates understand that design is an investigative process that relies on critical analysis, experimentation, and intellectual inquiry – always asking ‘why’ and re-thinking existing techniques and design paradigms. Our aim is to produce creative, inquisitive, confident, and responsible, architects/designers who are able to utilize ecologically and sustainable techniques in their work. Our graduates are qualified to collaborate on and to lead a design project from conceptual development to realization. Our program equips students to recognize and respect diversity and teaches them to be sensitive to the social, environmental, and cultural contexts in which they design. As such, the program is organized into the following five themes:

1. Architectural DesignStudio courses form the core of the curriculum in the Architecture Programme at the University of Nicosia. Here, students learn to develop coherent architectural designs that integrate analytical and critical thinking. They are introduced to a variety of design strategies to generate, implement and evaluate new ideas and forms at a variety of scales, and they are encouraged to sensitively consider site, context, aesthetic and ethical values.

2. Architectural Technology and EnvironmentIn these courses, students learn about building technologies, environmental design, and construction methods. They practice thinking about structure in relation to human activity and the natural world, and they develop an understanding of visual, thermal, and acoustic environments as well as properties of materials.

3. Architectural History and TheoryIn these courses, students learn about the history of architecture and theory from pre-history to the present. Emphasis is placed on understanding the cultural and social contexts that have informed the design of both significant and everyday buildings. Students are expected to develop keen analytical and research skills through frequent reading, looking, and writing assignments.

4. Architectural CommunicationStudents learn and experiment with standard and cutting-edge techniques for communicating design to a wide audience. These courses encourage students to develop their visual, verbal and written skills in a variety of media, including drawing, modelling, and computer aided design.

5. Architectural Management and PracticeBefore graduation, students need to develop an understanding of the practical aspects of architectural practice. Through courses and internships, students learn different strategies to manage their careers in design. In addition, they learn about contracts, statutory requirements, and professional responsibilities.

When students graduate from the Architecture Program they will have the following:

1. an ability to create architectural designs that satisfy both aesthetic and technical requirements;2. an adequate knowledge of the history and theories of architecture and the related arts, technologies and human sciences;3. a knowledge of the fine arts as an influence on the quality of architectural design;4. an adequate knowledge of urban design, planning and the skills involved in the planning process;5. an understanding of the relationship between people and buildings, and between buildings and their environment, and of the need to relate buildings and the spaces between them to human needs and scale;6. an understanding of the profession of architecture and the role of the architect in society, in particular in preparing briefs that take account of social factors;7. an understanding of the methods of investigation and preparation of the brief for a design project;8. an understanding of the structural design, constructional and engineering problems associated with building design;9. an adequate knowledge of the physical problems and technologies and of the function of buildings so as to provide them with internal conditions of comfort and protection against the climate;10. the necessary design skills to meet building users’ requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations;11. an adequate knowledge of the industries, organizations, regulations and procedures involved in translating design concepts into buildings and integrating plans into overall planning.